Division III deserves sports scholarships

There are 442 Division III schools across 34 different states. Dlll colleges are typically smaller universities, and many are private schools, which means the admissions and requirements are different than other bigger Dl and Dll schools.

Division III is considered to be the lowest of athletic competition. It is also against NCAA rules to give athletic scholarships to players. Even though the competition is at it’s lowest, there are many Dl and Dll athletes at Dlll schools. Most choose Division III because it was a better fit for their academics.

Lots of people think it is unfair that Dlll schools cannot give scholarships. The NCAA says that students come to these schools for a specific education and just play for the love of the game.  Even though some athletes have worked just as hard and compete as intensely, they may not have the skills to get into bigger schools.

It makes it a lot harder for coaches to recruit because they cannot give scholarships, which are deal breakers in a lot of cases. They lose lots of recruits to bigger schools because they cannot give money to athletes.

Although they cannot provide scholarships, they can boost admissions odds for promising recruits. This makes it easier for student athletes to get in, but not cheaper. Schools can and do give financial aid through leadership grants, but they are not full rides like the ones offered in other schools.

Even attention on television decreased after Dlll sport championships were taken off of the air, with no talk of them returning.  Also, the amount of practice time per week at these colleges is reduced.

To keep coaches from breaking rules, the NCAA requires each Division III school to report how much money it gives to students who play sports and how much money it gives to nonathletes. These numbers show that athletes at Division III schools on average, aren’t getting more money than nonathletes. Players make up over 20 percent of the student body at most DIII schools.

If it suspects a violation at a DIII school, the NCAA won’t start an investigation until the school’s reports raise a red flag. An example of this would be seeing that athletes receive 8 percent more than non athletes. Because schools give financial aid to students, sometimes coaches or schools break rules by using this money to give out a scholarship, which is illegal.

There have been speculations and investigations when schools pay athletes to attend and play well illegally. This is more typical in bigger colleges, and it violates many NCAA rules. In 2010-2011 an investigation took place after speculations of  Cam Newton, Heisman winner and then future quarterback of the Carolina Panthers accepted money from Auburn University during his career there. Despite NCAA rules, he later regained eligibility.

Every year, the college athletic association has to investigate schools for violating recruiting policies, especially in Division lll because they cannot offer scholarship. With strict NCAA rules, this ongoing debate looks to continue in Division lll colleges